Philosophy of Knowledge

1. Philosophy of Knowledge Today, I will be able to… Recognize the strengths and limitations of applying theories to explain behavior Explain origin of psychology Recognize how philosophical perspectives shaped the development of psychological thought Describe and compare different theoretical approaches in explaining behavior

2. Agenda • DNQ • Catch-up • Lecture/Prologue • Launch Timeline Project • Homework: • Timeline Project (due 8/29) • Matching Activity • Meet with your assigned groups outside of class (optional)

3. Philosophy of Knowledge* • “Epistemology” – the study of knowledge • Concerned with how we acquire knowledge and how much we can know about any given subject. • Intuition • We knew it already • Authority • We know it because an expert told us • Rationalism • Use reasoning (theoretical) to argue a theory. • Reason alone is a source of knowledge; different from experience. • Empiricism • Use evidence (empirical) to argue a theory. • All knowledge is derived from experience.

4. POP QUIZ!!* • What are the four ways of knowing? • Intuition • Authority • Rationalism (Reason) • Empiricism (Experience)

5. Kinds of Reasoning* • Induction • Abstracting a theory (general proposition) from a set of facts. • Deduction • Reasoning from theory (general proposition) to a specific set of implications. • Reduction • Reasoning that leads one to believe any complex system is simply a sum of its parts.

6. POP QUIZ!!* • What are three kinds of reasoning? • Deduction • Induction • Reduction

7. Hypothesis* • Generally, an “If-then” statement that answers the researcher’s question as a prediction of what they might see. • Must be TESTABLE • Often, researchers must state a NULL hypothesis and an ALTERNATIVE to avoid being untestable. • Ex: Black Swan Hypothesis

8. theory specific details specific details theory Deduction Induction What kind of questioning do psychologists use when they formulate theories to study behavior? Reduction

9. History of Reasoning • Plato • Argued that character and intelligence are inherited (from the father) • Socrates, his teacher • Aristotle • Organon – The Method • Described the mind as “the part of the soul by which it knows and understands” • The first to posit a separation between the body and mind

10. History of Reasoning* • Sir Francis Bacon • “Father of Experimental Science” • NovumOrganum – New Method • Infer general from particular examples • Absolute objectivity • We cannot come with preconceptions. Let the data speak for itself. • Common Criticisms • Impossible to remove human judgment • What we choose to study, what data are relevant • Starting assumptions

11. History of Reasoning* • David Hume • The Problem of Induction • You cannot infer the general from the particular! • Black Swan Example • So what should we do?

12. History of Reasoning* • Karl Popper • Popper argued for falsification of theories rather than verification • Cannot prove, only refute • Black Swan Example

13. Science is the process of crossing out false theories! • If evidence refutes a theory, it helps us narrow our theory. • If evidence fails to refute a theory, it increases our confidence • BUT it does NOT mean the theory has been PROVEN.

14. And this leads us…where? Right up to last night’s reading (yay!)

18. Outrageous Celebrities “Nature or nurture? As a young actress, Lindsay Lohan appeared to have a wonderful career ahead of her. But then it began unraveling, as she battled alcohol and drug problems, started exhibiting erratic behavior, and became embroiled in a host of legal problems. What might account for the deterioration?”

20. Homework • Timeline Project (due 8/29) • Matching Activity • Meet with your assigned groups outside of class (optional)